Do They Hurt You?

Writers: Devin, Chelle
Date Posted: 4th June 2015

Characters: D'lorn, A'dryn
Description: D'lorn calls A'dryn in to discuss the weyrling's reaction to the mating flight lecture.
Location: River Bluff Weyr
Date: month 13, day 11 of Turn 7
Notes: Mentioned: A'kades; Follows "The Dreaded Lecture"

A'dryn's heart raced as he stepped into the Weyrlingmaster Third's
office. "You wanted to see me sir?"

He'd made a list for follow up after the lecture of the blues and greens.
Naturally, A'dryn had made the top of that list. D'lorn had expected it of
the holdbred greenrider anyhow. "Aye. Have a seat, A'dryn."

The weyrling slid into the offered chair. "Am I in trouble?" He'd
guessed why D'lorn had called him in and he dreaded the conversation.

"No, you're not so don't worry about that." D'lorn pushed aside a bit of
hides and then leaned back in his seat, trying to signal that this conversation
shouldn't be a tense one. "I just thought it might be time to talk about what
happened during the flight lesson we had. You and I will be discussing the
subject until you're prepared when the time comes."

Prepared. A'dryn's stomach dropped. "I--I just... thinking about...
What if a bronze catches Nalarith?" A number of things about mating
flights bothered him, but that prospect _scared_ him.

"What if one does? Bronzes have caught Villith many times in the many turns
and it's never been a problem." D'lorn wondered where the boy's fears came from.
Did he think he was the only one who had ever went through these things?

Oh, yes. Of course D'lorn would know. "Do the riders... hurt you?"

"No. Not like what you're thinking anyway. Sometimes I end up with bruises
when things get a little heated, but they have bruises from me so it goes both
ways." Shrugging that off, D'lorn took a drink from the glass of water then set
down the glass. "Look A'dryn, it's natural to be afraid of something
you've never
experienced. What you have to do, though, is figure out what you have to do in
order to move past the fear. Because you will have to for Nalarith."

"Bruises? You mean you hurt each other? As-- as part of the flight?"
A'dryn couldn't understand how D'lorn could be so casual about it.

"Have you fallen down and gotten a bruise on your knee?" he asked the question
casually, hoping A'dryn wouldn't guess where he was going with it. The
point was-the boy was making things out to be worse than they had to be.

"Yes." A'dryn frowned. "But that's not the same as someone hitting me."

"I never said it was from hitting. If you grab someone hard enough it
can leave a
bruise. If you're rolling on a cot and hit the floor, it can leave a
bruise. The main
thing, though, is you don't feel any of that until after. The pleasure
will be all you know."
He wondered if A'dryn had ever felt intense pleasure in his
life-probably not. So he didn't
have a frame of reference to compare it to.

"So it's... an accident?" They said the dragons take over and riders
don't even know what they're doing, so that made sense. "What about
after? When the bronzerider realizes what he's... done?" A'dryn wiped
his sweaty palms on his pants. There was dampness under his arms and
at the small of his back as well.

"He's done just the same as you, partnered with his dragon during a Flight.
Just as we tell you that it's dangerous to feel guilty or have issues because
it could inhibit your dragon and their natural instincts-so too we do them.
During a mating Flight, it is the dragons' instincts that override all. We just
experience it with them, but it's them, not us. It's a very common thing for
bronzeriders, brownriders, and blueriders." Hoping that made the young weyrling
realize that it would be okay, D'lorn came up with an idea. "A'dryn...would you
maybe want to ask a real bronzerider that question? I'm sure he'll tell you the
same as me."

Heat rushed to the weyrling's face. "No!" It was hard enough talking
about these things with another male greenrider.

"Not even A'kades? He's one of your teachers too." D'lorn wondered if the boy
would be able to be comfortable with bronzeriders at all. If not, this
would be a hard process.

A'dryn bit his lip. "Maybe." He _was_ a teacher. On the other hand,
A'kades was rather handsome. If he won Nalarith's flight... A'dryn
swallowed and pushed that thought out of his mind. It was
inappropriate for so many reasons.

"I tell you what, we'll meet tomorrow with him and see if you can. I'll be in
the room so you won't be alone. Neither one of us would ever do anything
to hurt you. You know that right?" He hoped A'dryn trusted him. That was the
cornerstone to everything.

"Yes," A'dryn said slowly, a little surprised to find it was true. He
believed D'lorn and A'kades wouldn't deliberately hurt him and would
do their best to keep him and Nalarith safe.

Last updated on the July 8th 2015

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Do They Hurt You?